SanDisk USB Flash Drive nightmare (I/O error)

OK, I've seen lots of threads on numerous boards regarding this issue, none of which have actually lead to a resolution.

I recently bought a SanDisk Cruzer Micro 1GB flash drive. It refuses to work on my computer. I've dealt with SanDisk's Tech Support -- absolutely no help. I've lost the receipt and packaging (I just moved in to a new apartment), so I have no chance of being able to return it.

Here's the scoop:

I plug it in, WinXP detects it just fine and that blasted U3 software (which I've since removed) loads up. I go to copy a file...system hang. I wait...and wait...and wait. Eventually, the light on the drive goes out with my PC still holding it's ****. I unplug the drive. Screen goes blank (except for bg pic) and after a few seconds my desktop comes just as it would after a typical XP explorer crash -- most of the open windows are now closed and there aren't too many icons in the tray.

Here's the kicker (well, a few actually), I have a SanDisk 256MB Cruzer Mini which works fine. I had a 1GB Cruzer Mini earlier this year (which I returned) which did the same thing the Cruzer Micro does now. I tried the thing on my gf's (who has a 2GB Cruzer Micro) computer and it works fine.

Recently, I've been getting an error when I try to transfer files stating "The request could not be processed because of an I/O device error." However, I am able to transfer files that are smaller than 1 MB.

I've tried this plastic perturbance in FAT and FAT32. No luck.

Just to avoid confusion, I have a 1GB SD card for my camera. Works fine. I even went out and bought one of those adapters that turns the card into a USB drive...still works fine.

Someone please help me out here.

AMD Athlon 3200+, MSI MB KT6 Delta series, VIA KT600 chipset. BIOS and drivers are all most recent.

P.S. Sorry about the novel, I was just trying to be thorough.

I have bought a SanDisk Cruzer 8GB pendrive and have the same problems: malfunctioning and strange errors.

Before buying this Sandisk unit I bought another Sandisk Cruzer Titanium and I had to return it as it was not working (it was having a capacity of 16MB instead of 8GB). I promised to myself not to buy SanDisk anymore but I did the mistake again.

This latest SanDisk unit has the right capacity but while copying files it hangs (error more or less as error described in the main post - sometimes it say that it is not allowed to copy files to the unit as if it goes in read only mode). If I unplug and plug my Sandisk pendrive again the error/malfunctioning goes to the point that it just crashes my Windows XP.

I contacted SanDisk technical support but they are just idiots.
I thought SanDisk was top quality, it is just good marketing of a very bad product. In my experience of tens of different pendrives I have never experienced any problem.

Advice: stay away from SanDisk stuff! you will end up loosing your data!

you might have the fake and thats why they work lol... cause I have a 4gb scandisk that is doing the same thing and I bought it from walmart